Ausmumof3 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Than their parents apparently. There was a radio interview and since they've been doing iq tests each generation has gone up around 9 points. It's called the Flynn effect. Do you think this is a real thing? Are kids actually getting smarter? Is it because education is getting better? Is it that since iq tests came in we are valuing those skills higher at the expense of others? What other factors are there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I read through the wikipedia article on it & it touches on some good points, including that some studies are finding that in the higher iq ranges, the generational effect is a decrease.I think it's diet - both prenatal & postnatal - & stress (or more precisely, lack thereof). And what I think is that the groups that were scoring low were stunted & so with improvements in health & lifestyle, they're more likely to reach full potential. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 No, I don't think kids are getting smarter. I think they're getting better at whatever IQ tests measure. 19 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 I read through the wikipedia article on it & it touches on some good points, including that some studies are finding that in the higher iq ranges, the generational effect is a decrease. I think it's diet - both prenatal & postnatal - & stress (or more precisely, lack thereof). And what I think is that the groups that were scoring low were stunted & so with improvements in health & lifestyle, they're more likely to reach full potential. This makes sense to me as well, those times were during times of war and financial stress, poor diet etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I'm pretty sure the kids' IQ scores returns to the parental level by about age 25. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 No, I don't think kids are getting smarter. I think they're getting better at whatever IQ tests measure. After waiting around while my boys took the wisc-iv tests, exposure to certain toys would have definitely help one section. ETA: Comically one of the workbooks K12 VA issued to my kids would be good test prep. They were already very good at those so I don't think the workbook skew the results much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I've definitely gotten dumber since having kids. Isn't that called the Placenta Effect, or something? 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I've definitely gotten dumber since having kids. Isn't that called the Placenta Effect, or something? My thoughts exactly! I was also 10 IQ points smarter at that age! And yes, it's the Flynn effect. It just means that people are gaming the test, essentially, exposed to the concepts earlier, etc. IQs are not rising in areas in which no IQ tests are given even with better nutrition. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Women Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I suspect that it's because we play differently with our kids today--there are more shape sorters, things to manipulate and turn around, different ways of playing and different ways of talking to our kids. IQ tests work best when it's something the child has not learned to do, as it can measure how well they figure out new things. But if they've already been exposed to it, then it's not hard any more, though they aren't necessarily smarter in other ways. That's my opinion, at any rate, though it's not a scientific one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Not sure about this, but wasn't the reading and comprehension level of a year 8 student in the past, about the standard of a year 12 now? Or something like that....? If that's the case, I can't see that they are getting smarter. Maybe more versatile and broader in different areas, could that be perceived as a higher IQ? Thinking aloud. ;-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 While people may be scoring higher on things measured in IQ tests, previous generations knew many things that IQ tests don't measure. Saying that children today are "smarter" than their parents or that parents are smarter than their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were strikes me as a form of age-ism. It's disrespectful. My dad was smarter than I am. He was smarter than my children are. Maybe when my children have lived 80+ years, their intelligence will measure up to his. My mother-in-law probably wouldn't score high on an IQ test, but she knows a great deal about many things. IQ tests results are interesting, but they don't tell us everything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 While people may be scoring higher on things measured in IQ tests, previous generations knew many things that IQ tests don't measure. Saying that children today are "smarter" than their parents or that parents are smarter than their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were strikes me as a form of age-ism. It's disrespectful. My dad was smarter than I am. He was smarter than my children are. Maybe when my children have lived 80+ years, their intelligence will measure up to his. My mother-in-law probably wouldn't score high on an IQ test, but she knows a great deal about many things. IQ tests results are interesting, but they don't tell us everything. I'm trying to decide why I disagree with this so strongly. Maybe because there isn't a value judgment to someone being "smarter," it is just a statement of fact? Some of my children are much "smarter" than their siblings, but that doesn't mean they are better or more valuable or more loved. If it *is* true that this effect is occurring (which is up for debate), stating that fact wouldn't be any more disrespectful to me than stating the change in average lifespan in the last X years. It isn't disrespectful to say that the average lifespan of my parents' generation is significantly longer than that of their great great-grandparents, is it? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I'm trying to decide why I disagree with this so strongly. Maybe because there isn't a value judgment to someone being "smarter," it is just a statement of fact? Some of my children are much "smarter" than their siblings, but that doesn't mean they are better or more valuable or more loved. If it *is* true that this effect is occurring (which is up for debate), stating that fact wouldn't be any more disrespectful to me than stating the change in average lifespan in the last X years. It isn't disrespectful to say that the average lifespan of my parents' generation is significantly longer than that of their great great-grandparents, is it?Yes, measuring intelligence doesn't measure value.But to say that we are now smarter than previous generations who knew how to get up at the Crack of dawn to milk cows, feed chickens, plant and harvest crops, and sew their own clothes seems like we aren't placing value on the type of intelligence that was needed to do all the things that previous generations did quite successfully. They knew how to build things with their hands. They knew the mechanics of how to fix cars and various other machines.Computers were first built in garages by people who came from people who grew and built and created things. They were smart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I've definitely gotten dumber since having kids. Isn't that called the Placenta Effect, or something? Oh, I thought it was called "Mommy Brain." :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I appreciate Julie ' s comment that she "did not say smarter, just a higher IQ". And I look forward to listening to that TED talk when I have a chance. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Great Ted talk, thanks! Some of them are so stupid but that one was really informative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.